Verizon Wireless Stole $339.92 from me the week before Christmas

[mrphy9]

I am desperate for some help with my Verizon Wireless issue and I’m hoping that someone who sees this knows what I should do.

My spouse and I had two iPhone 6 Pluses on the Edge program.  In late October 2015, after the new iPhone 6s Pluses came out, I called Verizon Wireless and asked if we had made enough payments on our Edge agreements to qualify for upgrades, for both lines, to the new “s” model phones.  The rep said we did and we placed the order.

Within days of receiving the new phones, I had returned the old phones, in two boxes, with two tracking slips, both tracked as delivered.

Then a short while later, I received an email from Verizon Wireless saying they had received one of the phones.

A few days passed, then a week, then more time, but I hadn’t received a notice about the other phone being received.

Then I started getting reminders from Verizon to return that device.

So I started calling and chatting with Verizon in early November.  I kept being told “oh they’re just working through all the devices” or “give it more time” or “I’m sure you’ll get the receipt notice soon.”  It never came.

Then I started getting warnings I would be charged $339.92 for remaining Edge payments for the other device soon if it wasn’t returned.

I was furious because I was having to spend so much time on this and I had done my part – everything I was supposed to do.

Then, a few days ago, against everything I had been told by Verizon reps over the last month and a half, my auto debit hit my checking account for over $520!  I was livid. My regular payment is about $190.

I called Verizon immediately and managed to reach a supervisor who assured me she would get to the bottom of this THAT DAY and call or email me with her findings.  I never heard from her.

The next day I called Verizon again, reached someone else, they were so apologetic, they said this has been happening to other people.  They said they would have someone from their "loyalty department" contact me because they could tell I was extremely mad and will probably leave Verizon.  I never heard from anyone.

And they said they would reverse the $520+ auto debit payment.  They didn't.

They said I need to wait for them to credit me the $339.92.

So the fact here is that I have had $339.92 stolen out of my checking account by Verizon Wireless for a device which I returned to them in October and nobody can tell me when I am going to get this money back.

I am at my wit’s end. Please help!

[mama23dogs · Accepted solution]

Since the tracking showed the phone arrived at the warehouse, there are only 2 other reasons you would be charged.

1.  The phone is still iCloud locked.

2.   The phone is damaged.

IF it left your hands in perfect condition, you should not be charged. 

FIle lwith the better business bureau

[mrphy9]

Thanks mama23dogs, i'm extremely tech-capable and have done many, many upgrades and both phones were most certainly in perfect working order, wiped, no iCloud or Find My iPhone turned on etc.  They were exactly as they want them.

[kaebfly]

Have you tried contacting your bank to dispute the charge? If you can show that both devices were delivered to Verizon you can submit that with your dispute. This might get results a lot quicker than waiting for Verizon to resolve the issue.

[mrphy9]

I have also been Tweeting Verizon about this, and posting on Facebook in the last day or so, and they are deleting my messages.

[mrphy9]

I have placed a dispute with my bank but it's a long, slow process and I would like Verizon Wireless to resolve this and they should resolve this.  You can't just take $340 from a loyal customer and then force them to spend literally hours trying to get their money back.  This is so wrong on so many levels.

[mama23dogs]

BBB has no real power.  Yet they have gotten results in a day when the complaint is valid, and yours is.

[kaebfly]

Maybe I'm just lucky but my bank always temporarily refunds the disputed amount within 24 hrs of the claim and the refund becomes permanent once they complete their investigation. I've never had a refund reversed because all of my claims have been legit and I was able to provide enough proof. I just assumed most banks handled this the same way. Only thing I can suggest is to continue contacting Verizon. The process takes awhile with them though but if your bank is slow too then you don't really have any other options. Of course, you need to dispute the amount with Verizon too or they can disconnect your account(s) for non payment if it goes too long.

[mrphy9]

I will try BBB.  i have nothing to lose.  but what really irks me on this is that over the last 6 weeks I've been told by at least 7 Verizon reps, either on the phone or over their support chat, that they can see both phones were indeed received and that the issue is one of the phones just hasn't been "scanned in yet."  So they know it's on them.  Yet they had no problem yanking that money out of my checking account for the device they "haven't yet gotten to."  I am not interested in letting Verizon borrow $339.92 from me while they figure things out on their end.  It's so frustrating!

[mrphy9]

Thanks Kaebfly, my bank is a smaller bank and unfortunately they don't credit you right away.  But I can't really blame them, this is all on Verizon.  I have just filed a BBB complaint which hopefully will help.  And there has been no non-payment, quite the contrary.  The account is paid up.  I've paid hundreds more than I was supposed to.  I just can't believe a company can get away with something like this.  And all the time and stress I've spent on this - I can't get that back.  Why I would ever upgrade a device with them again is totally beyond me.  I mean, why I would even STAY with them is an increasingly insane proposition.